Press Releases

Hospital for Special Care Awards Scholarships to Medical, Physical Therapy and Nursing Students

Hospital for Special Care (HFSC) honored eight area students for their academic achievements in medicine, physical therapy and nursing this month by presenting nearly $35,000 in scholarship awards. The hospital awarded the $12,000 Florence Timura Medical Student Scholarship to Ndidi Enwereji, of Hamden, a fourth-year medical student at Quinnipiac University, Frank H. Netter School of Medicine (2023).  Grace Cioffi, of Brookfield, a student pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Sacred Heart University (2024) received the $6,000 Florence Timura Physical Therapy Scholarship. Contributions from the late Michael Timura, a longtime friend, business associate and hospital benefactor, in honor of his wife Florence, support these annual awards.

The following annual nursing scholarships were also announced at the HFSC annual meeting held last week:

• The Rona Botwinick Nursing Scholarship: Laiba Shahzad of Newington, University of Saint Joseph (2026), $3,000.
• The Florence Timura Nursing Scholarship: Rylee Cop of East Berlin, University of Hartford (2026), $3,000.
• The Dr. Michael Timura, III Nursing Scholarship: Christine Nguyen of Newington, University of Saint Joseph (2026), $2,750.
• The Paul Sutula Nursing Scholarship: Megan Crean of Plantsville, Sacred heart University (2026), $2,750.
• The Elizabeth Timura Gold Star Mother Nursing Scholarship: Charai Bellini of Berlin, Capital Community College (2025), $2,500.
• The John Timura Nursing Scholarship: Jenaya Evelyn of New Britain, University of Connecticut (2026), $2,500

HFSC scholarships are supported by charitable funds established by generous donors at the Hospital for Special Care Foundation. The late Michael Timura established multiple scholarships at Hospital for Special Care to advance local students’ pursuit of careers in health care. He also established a professional development fund for Certified Nursing Assistants at HFSC to support training programs for these helping professionals at the hospital. Each fund honors a cherished member of his family, including his beloved wife Florence. Allen Botwinick’s contributions honored his wife Rona through the Rona Botwinick Nursing Scholarship.